Reflections on Life through poetry, essays and photos

In the Blood (Entertainment?)

Don’t you just love football—the running and the tackling?The sounds of hamstrings pulling and the crunch of femurs crackling?We sit up in the bleachers eating hot dogs, drinking beer,comfortably viewing blood sport—the kind we hold so dear.

Aren’t dogfights lovely–the growling and the whining?Too bad they aren’t more elite, so we could watch while dining.So amusing watching canines being dished their due.Dying is so entertaining when it isn’t you!

Better still are bullfights, though they’re few and far between.The bull so lithe and dangerous, the matador so lean.The best part of the sport is that the dying is so slow.I feel its thrill suffuse me from my head down to my toe.

We adore big game hunting in such exotic lands–our chance to prove our manliness with our own two hands–handing over money to those trackers in the knowwho guarantee an easy kill with rifle or with bow.

Easy on the hunter, but not the animal,for just because he’s hit the prey’s not guaranteed to fall.We get more for our money if he’s hard to track,and war games are more pleasant when one’s foe doesn’t shoot back!

All these minor titillations just a prelude tothe main event and the most major way of counting coup.Once all the good old boys are finding life is just a bore,they round up all the younger men and send them off to war.

See how the valiant struggle, see their stripes and purple hearts–apt pay for missing arms and legs and other blown off parts.Lucky to be home at last and lucky to be living–the products of that blood sport that just somehow keeps on giving

Repost of a poem from 3 1/2 years ago. Crocodile photo new! More to follow. The prompt today is entertain.

About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

They don’t break NEARLY as many parts as they used to. NOW the refs can call “excessive violence” and make them give back their touchdown … which is a big deal. As for the scrambling in their heads, well, these days, who DOESN’T have a scrambled head?